Is June 6 Pac X day?

Comments from Cal Chancellor -- he'd be "shocked" if something doesn't happen and "at least one team" fits academic profile. The only team that makes sense here, that fits from an academic, athletic and cultural perspective, is the Buffs. Big 12 meetings are ongoing this week, and talk is that Don Beebe is going to discuss increasing penalties for leaving Big 12. Perhaps CU has pushed Pac X to make a choice ASAP to enable us to get out while the asking price remains relatively low? Regardless, his quotes make it seem obvious that Pac 10 is going to go the route of a network, given comment about Illinois.

It could be, but I don't think DeLoss Dodd would be interested at this point as Texas' clear preference is to stay B12. I'm guessing here, but I bet that any Pac 10 membership requires a commitment from each school that it will willingly participate in a Pac X Network. Texas may end up destroying the B12 by refusing to participate in a conference network, largely because of their belief that Texas can support its own TV network.

Clear preference? I wouldn't be so sure about that.
From Big XII meetings in Kansas City today:

“We did not start this,” Dodds told The Kansas City Star in response to questions put to him Tuesday afternoon in the lobby of the InterContinental Hotel on the Plaza. “If we need to finish it, we’ll finish it. We’re going to be a player in whatever happens.”

“We’re watching what’s happening with the Big Ten, probably to a lesser degree to the Southeast Conference,” [Texas AD DeLoss] Dodds said. “If the landscape is going to change, we’re going to be a part of it and be a viable part of it. Texas will come out of it in good shape.”

Dodds said several times, just before going into meetings with the other Big 12 athletic directors, that he wanted the Big 12 Conference to remain a viable entity, that the league had been good for Texas and that Texas had been good for the league...“But when there’s a lot of moving parts and people are talking and we’re not privy to some of the conversations,” Dodds said, “you have to put things up there to where you’re ready to do something if you have to do something.”

I still think Dodd's clear preference is for Texas to remain B12 and then open a Texas Sports Network. This way, he gets the Big 12 money (which is tilted towards Texas as all B12 North fans know) and the network that he wants. That doesn't mean, however, that Texas will remain Big 12 IF the SH*T hits the fan....but the SH*T won't hit the fan until the Big 10 moves, and it looks like that may be pushed back for some period of time. I still don't understand, if CU, Mizzou and Nebraska all agree to leave, why Texas wouldn't go Big 10 with all the money they'd make.

If CU doesn't fit the profile, then 1/2 of Pac 10's current teams don't, either.

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while I'm in favor of a possible move, for this reason (above) I find some of the Pac 10 academic puffery a little disingenuous. Iowa State is ranked ahead of half the Pac....but they go on like all the Pac schools are academic/research rock stars.

I don't pretend to understand all of the by-laws, penelties, and rules for leaving the B12. But I sure don't see how Beebe can arbatrairly increase any fine for any school that wants to leave under the existing policy? I think that could be easly challanged in court.

I'm pretty sure Beebe is toothless without the conferences voting on increasing penalties...and seeing as how at least half of the schools in the conference are at least considering the possibilities of leaving, I just don't see that happening.

while I'm in favor of a possible move, for this reason (above) I find some of the Pac 10 academic puffery a little disingenuous. Iowa State is ranked ahead of half the Pac....but they go on like all the Pac schools are academic/research rock stars.

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I think the idea is they want to keep the academic credentials high. CU meets that standard by falling in the middle, whereas, say, a Boise State drags the whole conference downhill.

Don't know about that. If Texas is content to stay (assuming that also means aTm, OU, and Okie St stay also), that could mean everyone except Mizzou, Nub, and CU would have a vested interest in keeping the conference together and would therefore vote for higher exit fees.

I don't pretend to understand all of the by-laws, penelties, and rules for leaving the B12. But I sure don't see how Beebe can arbatrairly increase any fine for any school that wants to leave under the existing policy? I think that could be easly challanged in court.

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He can't. that requires approval of 75% of the members. With MU, NU, CU, UT and aTm all in play, they are not going to get 8 schools to approve increased penalties.

If CU doesn't fit the profile, then 1/2 of Pac 10's current teams don't, either.

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The US NEWS stuff is not what is being looked at. The only thing that matters is the research and grant academic ratings which CU is very highly thought of. CU has helped Cal and Stanford on multiple govt projects and studies. If the "academics" is what matters here, this thing will go very well for us.

Even if they could pass an increase in exit penalties they could not enforce them until a reasonable time period passes or they would face some major legal action. At that point it would simply result in pushing the schools on the edge to make a decision quicker and not wait to see what the future brings for Big XII media revenue.

Looking at the PAC 10 the sticking point would not be if CU is a fit but rather who would be the second school to invite. There is some but not a great deal of advantage in going to an eleven team conference, the real advantages and much more logical scheduling and travel scenerios come with 12 teams. Thus you look at CU plus who? Texas as discussed would be a fit from a media market expansion standpoint, a power participant in multiple sports (which CU is not) and academically but Texas may not be interested, especially without aTm along for the ride. Utah may fit but they may be tied to BYU which would be a deal killer for the PAC 10 and Utah would be one of the lower revenue schools in the conference if admitted. The corn are to far east, don't fit academically or attitude wise, don't have a major media market. New Mexico is a rapidly growing media market but the school does not have a long term history of athletic excellence, has poor to marginal football revenue, a history of cheating in BB, and is not considered an academic standard bearer.

All that said, the actions of the Big XII may make it more appealing for both the PAC 10 and CU to act quickly while the window is open.